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THH WERNER 

BIOGRAPItUCAI- 

BOOKL.ETS 



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The Story of 

Daniel Webster 



For 



READERS IN 
PRIMARY G.RADES 



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JAMES BAI>DWIN 




Werner School E^ook Company 
ghjcago k£sv york 



/ 

THE IVERNER BIOGRylPHICAL BOOKLETS 

THE STORY 

OF 






DANIEL WEBSTER 

FOR YOUNG READERS 




WERNER SCHOOL BOOK COMPANY 

NEW YORK CHICAGO BOSTON 



£7^40 



Copyright, iSq6, 
By Weknek School Book Compan\. 



Dauicl WeUsttr. 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



I. — Cai'tain Webster. 

Many years ago there lived in New Hampshire 
a poor farmer, whose name was Ebenezer Web- 
ster. ^ 

His httle farm was among the hills, not far 
from the Merrimac River. It was a beautiful 
place to live in ; but the ground was poor, and 
there were so many rocks that you would won- 
der how anything could grow among them. 

Ebenezer Webster was known far and wide as 
a brave, wise man. When any of his neighbors 
were in trouble or in doubt about anything, they 
always said, " We will ask Captain Webster about 
it." ^ 

They called him Captain because he had fought 
the French and Indians and had been a brave 
soldier in the Revolutionarv War. Indeed, he 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



was one of the first men in New Hampsliire to 
take up arms for liis country. 
V Wlien lie lieard tliat tlie Britisli were sending 
soldiers to America to force the people to obey 
the unjust laws of the king of England, he said, 
" We must never submit to this." 

So he went among his neighbors and persuaded 
them to sign a pledge to do all that they could 
to defend the country against the British. Then 
he raised a company of two hundred men and 
led them to Boston to join the American army. 

The Revolutionary War lasted several years ; 
and during all that time, Captain Webster w^as 
known as one of the bravest of the American pa- 
triots. 

One day, at West Point, he met General Wash- 
ington. The patriots were in great trouble at 
that time, for one of their leaders had turned 
traitor and had gone to help the British. The 
officers and soldiers were much distressed, for 
they did not know who might be the next to de- 
sert them. 

As I have said. Captain Webster met General 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 7 

Washington. The general took tlie captahi's 
hand, and said : " I beheve that I can trust you, 
Captain Webster." 

You may beheve tiiat this made Captain Web- 
ster feel very happy. Wdien he went back to his 
humble home among the New Hampshire hills, 
he was never so proud as when telling his neigh- 
bors about this meeting with General Washing- 
ton. 

If you could have seen Captain Ebenezer Web- 
ster in those days, you would have looked at him 
more than once. He was a remarkable man. 
He was very tall and straight, with dark, glowing 
eyes, and hair as black as nig"ht. His face was 
kind, but it showed much firmness and de- 
cision. 

He had never attended school ; but he had 
tried, as well as he could, to educate himself. It 
was on account of his honesty and good judg- 
ment that he was looked up to as the leading 
man in the neighborhood. 

In some way, I do not know how, he had got- 
ten a little knowledge of the law. And at last, 



8 THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



because of this as well as because of his sound 
common sense, he was appointed judge of the 
court in his county. 

This was several years after the war was over. 
He was now no longer called Captain Webster, 
but Judge Webster. 

It had been very hard for him to make a living 
for his large family on the stony farm among the 
hills. But now his office as judge would bring 
him three hundred or four hundred dollars a year. 
He had never had so much money in his life. 

" Judge Webster," said one of his neighbors, 
"what are you going to do with the money that 
you get from your office ? Going to build a new 
house ?" 

" Well, no," said the judge. "The old house 
is small, but we have lived in it a long time, and 
it still does very well." 

" Then I suppose you are planning to buy more 
land ?" said, the neighbor. 

" No, indeed, I have as much land now as I can 
cultivate. Hut I will tell you what I am going 
to do with my money. I am going to try to ed- 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



ucate my boys. I would rather do this than have 
lands and houses." 



II. — The Youngest Son. 

Ebenezer Webster had several sons. But at 
the time that he was appointed judge there were 
only two at home. The older ones were grown 
up and were doing for themselves. 

It was of the two at home that he was think- 
ing when he said, " I am going to try to educate 
my boys." 

Of the ten children in the family, the favorite 
was a black-haired, dark-skinned little fellow 
called Daniel. He was the youngest of all the 
boys ; but there was one girl who was younger 
than he. 

Daniel Webster was born on the i8th of Jan- 
uary, 1782. 

He was a puny child, very slender and weak ; 
and the neighbors were fond of telling his 
mother that he could not live long. Perhaps 
this was one of the things that caused him to be 
favored and petted by his parents. 



lO THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 

But there were other reasons why every one 
was attracted by him. There were other reasons 
why his brothers and sisters were always ready 
to do him a service. 

He was an affectionate, loving child ; and he 
was wonderfully bright and quick. 

He was not strong enough to work on the farm 
like other boys. He spent much of his time play- 
ing in the woods or roaming among the hills. 

And when he was not at play he was quite sure 
to be found in some quiet corner with a book in 
his hand, tie afterwards said of himself: "In 
those boyish days there were two things that I 
dearly loved — reading and playing." 

He could never tell how or when he had learned 
to read. Perhaps his mother had taught him 
when he was but a mere babe. 

He was very young when he was first sent to 
school. The school-house was two or three miles 
away, but he did not mind the long walk through 
the woods and over the hills. 

It was not a great while until he had learned 
all that his teacher was able to teach him ; for he 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. I 3 

nation, he proved to be the Constitution's wisest 
friend and ablest defender. 



III. EZEKIEL AND DaNIEL. 

Ezekiel Webster was two years older than 
his brother Daniel. He was a strong, manly 
fellow, and was ready at all times to do a kind- 
ness to the lad who had not been gifted with so 
much health and strength. 

But he had not Daniel's quickness of mind, 
and he always looked to his younger brother 
for advice and instruction. 

And so there was much love between the two 
brothers, each helping the other according to his 
talents and his ability. 

One day they went together to the county 
fair. Each had a few cents in his pocket for 
spending-money, and both expected to have a 
fine time. 

When they came home in the evening Daniel 
seemed very happy, but Ezekiel was silent. 



14 THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



" Well, Daniel," said their mother, " what did 
you do with your money ? " 

" I spent it at the fair," said Daniel. 

" And what did you do with yours, Ezekiel ? " 

" I lent it to Daniel," was the answer. 

It was this way at all times, and with every- 
body. Not only Ezekiel, but others were ever 
ready to give up their own means of enjoyment 
if only it would make Daniel happy. 

At another time the brothers were standing 
together by their father, who had just come home 
after several days' absence. 

" Ezekiel," said Mr. Webster, " what have you 
been doing since I went away ?" 

" Nothing, sir," said Ezekiel. 

"You are very frank," said the judge. Then 
turning to Daniel, he said : 

" What have you been doing, Dan ?" 

"Helping Zeke," said Daniel. 

When Judge Webster said to his neighbor, " I 
am going to try to educate my boys," he had no 
thought of ever being able to send both of them 
to college. 



■I HE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



15 



Ezekiel, he said to himself, was strong and 
hearty. He could make his own way in the 
world without having" a finished education. 

But Daniel had little strength of body, although 
he was gifted with great mental powers. It was 
he that must be the scholar of the family. 

The judge argued with himself that since he 
would be able to educate only one of the boys, 
he must educate that one w'ho gave the greatest 
promise of success. And yet, had it not been 
for his poverty, he would gladly have given the 
same opportunities to both. 



IV. — Plans for the Future. 

One hot day in summer the judge and his 
youngest son were at work together in the hay- 
field. V 

"Daniel," said the judge, "I am thinking that 
this kind of work is hardly the right thing for 
you. You must prepare yourself for greater 
things than pitching hay." 

" What do you mean, father?" asked Daniel. 



1 6 THE SrORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 

" I mean that you must have that which I have 
always felt the need of. You must have a good 
education ; for without an education a man is 
always at a disadvantage. If I had been able to 
go to school when I was a boy, I might have done 
more for my country than I have. But as it is, 
1 can do nothing but struggle here for the means 
of living." 

" Zeke and I will help you, father," said Dan- 
iel ; " and now that you are growing old, you 
need not work so hard." 

" I am not complaining about the work," said 
the judge. " I live only for my children. When 
your older brothers were growing up I was too 
poor to give them an education ; but I am able 
now to do something for you, and I mean to 
send you to a good school." 

" Oh, father, how kind you are ! " cried Daniel. 

" If you will study hard," said his father — 
" if you will do your best, and learn all that you 
can, you will not have to endure such hardships 
as I have endured. And then you will be able 
to do so much more o-ood in the world." 



THE STORY OF DAXIEI. WEBSTER. 



The boy's heart was touched by the manner 
in which his father spoke these words. He 
dropped his rake ; he threw his arms around 
his father's neck, and cried for thankfuhiess 
and joy. 

It was not until the next spring that Judge 
Webster felt himself able to carry out his plans 
to send Daniel to school. 

One evening he said, "Daniel, you must be up 
early in the morning, I am going with you to 
Exeter." 

" To Exeter ? " said the boy. 

" Yes, to Exeter. I am going to put you in 
the academy there." 

The academy at Exeter was then, as it still is, a 
famous place for preparing boys for college. But 
Daniel's father did not say anything about mak- 
ing him ready for college. The judge knew that 
the expenses would be heavy, and he was not 
sure that he would ever be able to give him a fin- 
ished education. 

It was nearly fifty miles to Exeter, and Daniel 
and his father were to ride there on horseback. 



1 8 THE STORY OF DANJEL WEBSTER. 

That was almost the only u ay of traveling in 
those days. 

The next morning two horses were brought to 
the door. One was Judge Webster's horse, the 
other was a gentle nag, with a lady's side-saddle 
on his back. 

" Who is going to ride on that nag?" asked 
Daniel. 

" Young Dan Webster," answered the judge. 

" But I don't want a side-saddle. I am not a 
lady." 

" Neighbor Johnson is sending the nag to Ex- 
eter for the use of a lady who is to ride back with 
me. I accommodate him by taking charge of 
the animal, and he accommodates me by allow- 
ing you to ride on it." 

" But won't it look rather funny for me to ride 
to Exeter on a lady's saddle ? " 

" If a lady can ride on it, perhaps Dan Web- 
ster can do as much." 

And so they set out on their journey to Exeter. 
The judge rode in advance, and Daniel, sitting 
astride of the ladv's saddle, followed behind. 



'I HE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



It was, no doubt, a funny sight to see them rid- 
ing- thus along the muddy roads. None of the 
country people who stopped to gaze at them 
could have guessed that the dark-faced lad who 
rode so awkwardly would some day become one 
of the greatest men of the age. 

It was thus that Daniel Webster made his first 
appearance among strangers. 



V. — At Exeter Academy. 

It was the first time that Daniel Webster had 
been so far from home. He was bashful and 
awkward. His clothes were of home-made stuff, 
and they were cut in the quaint style of the 
back-country districts. 

He must have been a funny-looking fellow. 
No wonder that the boys laughed when they saw 
him going up to the principal to be examined for 
admission. 

The principal of the academy at that time was 
Dr. Benjamin Abbott. He was a great scholar 
and a very dignified gentleman. 



20 THE STORY OF DANIEf, WEBSTER. 

He looked down at the slender, black-eyed boy 
and asked : 

"What is your age, sir?" 

" Fourteen years," said Daniel. 

" I will examine )-ou first in reading. Take this 
Bible, and let me hear you read some of these 
verses." 

He pointed to the twenty-second chapter of 
Saint Luke's Gospel. 

The boy took the book and began to read. He 
had read this chapter a hundred times before. 
Indeed, there was no part of the Bible that was 
not familiar to him. 

He read with a clearness and fervor which few 
men could equal. 

The dignified principal was astonished. He 
stood as though spell-bound, listening to the rich, 
mellow tones of the bashful lad from among the 
hills. 

In the case of most boys it was enough if he 
heard them read a verse or two. But he allowed 
Daniel Webster to read on until he had finished 
the chapter. Then he said : 



THE STORY OF DAXIEL WEBSTER. 



"There is no need to examine you further. 
You are fully qualified to enter this academy." 

Most of the boys at Exeter were gentlemen's 
sons. They dressed well, they had been taught 
fine manners, they had the speech of cultivated 
people. 

They laughed at the awkward, new boy. They 
made fun of his homespun coat ; they twitted 
him on account of his poverty ; they annoyed 
him in a hundred ways. 

Daniel felt hurt by this cruel treatment. He 
grieved bitterly over it in secret, but he did not 
resent it. 

He studied hard and read much. He was soon 
at the head of all his classes. His schoolmates 
ceased laughing at him ; for they saw that, with 
all his uncouth ways, he had more ability than 
any of them. 

He had, as I have said, a wonderful mem- 
ory. He had also a quick insight and sound 
judgment. 

But he had had so little experience with the 
world, that he was not sure of his own powers. 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



He knew that he was awkward ; and this made 
him timid and bashful. 

When it came his turn to declaim before the 
school, he had not the courage to do it. Long 
afterwards, when he had become the greatest or- 
ator of modern times, he told how hard this thing 
had been for him at Exeter : 

"Many a piece did I commit to memory, and 
rehearse in my room over and over again. But 
when the day came, when the school collected, 
when my name was called and I saw all eyes 
turned upon my seat, I could not raise myself 
from it. 

" Sometimes the masters frowned, sometimes 
they smiled. My tutor always pressed and en- 
treated with the most winning kindness that I 
would venture only once ; but I could not com- 
mand sufficient resolution, and when the occa- 
sion was over I went home and wept tears of bit- 
ter mortification." 

Daniel stayed nine months at Exeter. In those 
nine months he did as much as the other boys of 
his ao^e could do in two years. 



I HE SIOKY OF DANIEL IVEBS7EA'. 23 

He mastered arithmetic, geography, grammar, 
and rhetoric. He also began the study of Latin. 
Besides this, he was a great reader of all kinds of 
books, and he added something every day to his 
general stock of knowledge. 

His teachers did not oblige him to follow a 
graded course of study. They did not hold 
him back with the duller pupils of his class. 
They did not oblige him to wait until the end of 
the year before he could be promoted or could 
begin the study of a new subject. 

But they encouraged him to do his best. As 
soon as he had finished one subject, he advanced 
to a more difficult one. 

More than fifty years afterwards, Dr. Abbott 
declared that in all his long experience he had 
never known any one whose power of gaining 
knowledge was at all equal to that of the bashful 
country lad from the New Hampshire hills. 

Judge Webster would have been glad to let 
Daniel stay at Exeter until he had finished the 
studies required at the academy. But he could 
not afford the expense. 



24 THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 

If he should spend all his money to keep the 
boy at the academy, how could he afterwards 
find the means to send him to college where the 
expenses would be much greater? 

So he thought it best to find a private teacher 
for the boy. This would be cheaper. 



VI. — Getting Ready for College. 

One day in the early winter, Judge Webster 
asked Daniel to ride with him to Boscawen. Bos- 
cawen was a little town, six miles away, where 
they sometimes went for business or for pleasure. 

Snow was on the ground. Father and son rode 
together in a little, old-fashioned sleigh ; and as 
they rode, they talked about many things. Just 
as they were going up the last hill, Judge Web- 
ster said : 

" Daniel, do you know the Rev. Samuel Wood, 
here in Boscawen ? " 

" I have heard of him," said Daniel. " He 
takes boys into his family, and gets them ready 
for college." 



THE STORY OF DA MEL WEBSTER. 



" Yes, and he does it cheap, too," said his 
father. " He charges only a dollar a week for 
board and tuition, fuel and lights and every- 
thing." 

" But they say he is a fine teacher," said Daniel. 
" His boys never fail in the college examinations." 

"That is what I have heard, too," answered 
his father. " And now, Dannie, I may as well 
tell you a secret. For the last six years I have 
been planning to have you take a course in Dart- 
mouth College. I want you to stay with Dr. 
Wood this winter, and he will get you ready to 
enter. We might as well go and see him now." 

This was the first time that Daniel had ever 
heard his father speak of sending him to college, 
tlis heart was so full that he could not say a 
word. But the tears came in his eyes as he 
looked up into the judge's stern, kind face. 

He knew that if his father carried out this plan, 
it would cost a great deal of money ; and if this 
money should be spent for him, then the rest of 
the family would have to deny themselves of 
many comforts which they might otherwise have. 



26 THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



" Oh, never mind that, Dan," said his brother 
Ezekiel. " We are never so happy as when we 
are doing something for you. And we know 
that you will do something for us, some time." 

And so the boy spent the winter in Boscawen 
with Dr. Wood. He learned everything very 
easily, but he was not as close a student as he 
had been at Exeter. 

He was very fond of sport. He liked to go 
fishing. And sometimes, when the weather was 
fine, his studies were sadly neglected. 

There was a circulating library in Boscawen, 
and Daniel read every book that w^as in it. 
Sometimes he slighted his Latin for the sake of 
giving more time to such reading. 

One of the books in the library was Don Quix- 
etc. Daniel thought it the most wonderful story 
in existence. He afterwards said : 

" I began to read it, and it is literally true that 
I never closed my eyes until I had finished it, so 
great was the power of this extraordinary book 
on my imagination." 

Hut it was so easy for the boy to learn, that he 



THE STORY OF DAXIEL WEBSTER. 



made very rapid progress in all his studies. In 
less than a year, Dr. Wood declared that he was 
ready for college. 

He was then fifteen years old. He had a 
pretty thorough knowledge of arithmetic ; but 
he had never studied algebra or geometry. In 
Latin he had read four of Cicero's orations, and 
six books of Virgil's ^^Encid. He knew some- 
thing of the elements of Greek grammar, and 
had read a portion of the Greek Testament. 

Nowadays, a young man could hardly enter 
even a third-rate college without a better prep- 
aration than that. But colleges are much more 
thorough than they were a hundred years ago. 

VII. — At Dartmouth College. 

Dartmouth College is at Hanover, New Hamp- 
shire. It is one of the oldest colleges in Amer- 
ica ; and among its students have been many of 
the foremost men of New England. 

It was in the fall of 1797, that Daniel Webster 
entered this collepfe. 



2 8 THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 

He was then a tall, slender youth, with high 
cheek bones and a swarthy skin. 

The professors soon saw that he was no com- 
mon lad. They said to one another, " This 
young Webster will one day be a greater man 
than any of us." 

And young Webster was well-behaved and 
studious at college. He was as fond of sport as 
any of the students, but he never gave himself 
up to boyish pranks. 

He was punctual and regular in all his classes. 
He was as great a reader as ever. 

He could learn anything that he tried. No 
other young man had a broader knowledge of 
things than he. 

And yet he did not make his mark as a stu- 
dent in the prescribed branches of study. He 
could not confine himself to the narrow routine 
of the college course. 

He did not, as at Exeter, push his way ciuickly 
to the head of his class. He won no prizes. 

" But he minded his own business," said one of 
the professors. " As steady as the sun, he pur- 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 29 

sued, with intense application, the great object 
for which he came to college." 

Soon everybody began to appreciate his 
scholarship. Everybody admired him for his 
manliness and good common sense. 

"He was looked upon as being so far in ad- 
vance of any one else, that no other student of 
his class was ever spoken of as second to him." 

He very soon lost that bashfulness which had 
troubled him so much at Exeter. It was no task 
now for him to stand up and declaim before the 
professors and students. 

In a short time he became known as the best 
writer and speaker in the college. Indeed, he 
loved to speak ; and the other students were al- 
ways pleased to listen to him. 

One of his classmates tells us how he prepared 
his speeches. He says : " It was Webster's cus- 
tom to arrange his thoughts in his mind while 
he was in his room, or while he was walking 
alone. Then he would put them upon paper just 
before the exercise was to be called for. 

"If he was to speak at two o'clock, he would 



30 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



often begin to write after dinner ; and when the 
bell rang he would fold his paper, put it in his 
pocket, go in, and speak with great ease. 

" In his movements he was slow and deliber- 
ate, except when his feelings were aroused. 
Then his wdiole soul would kindle into a 
flame." 

In the year 1800, he was chosen to deliver the 
Fourth of July address to the students of the 
college and the citizens of the town. He was 
then eighteen years old. 

The speech was a long one. It was full of the 
love of country. Its tone throughout was earn- 
est and thoughtful. 

But in its style it was overdone ; it w^as full of 
pretentious expressions ; it lacked the simplicity 
and good common sense that should mark all 
public addresses. 

And yet, as the speech of so young a man, it 
was a very able effort. People said that it was 
the promise of much greater things. And they 
were right. 

In the summer of i8ot, Daniel orraduated. 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 3 I 

But he took no honors. He was not even pres- 
ent at the Commencement. 

tlis friends were g-rieved that he had not been 
chosen to dehver the valedictory address. Per- 
haps he also was disappointed. But the profes- 
sors had thought best to give that honor to an- 
other student. 



VIII. — How Daniel Taught School. 

While Daniel Webster was taking- his course 
in college, there was one thing that troubled him 
very much. It was the thought of his brother 
Ezekiel toiling at home on the farm. 

He knew that Ezekiel had great abilities. He 
knew that he was not fond of the farm, but that 
he was anxious to become a lawyer. 

This brother had g-iven up all his dearest plans 
in order that Daniel might be favored ; and Dan- 
iel knew that this was so. 

Once, when Daniel was at home on a vacation, 
he said, " Zeke, this thing is all wrong. Father 
has mortgaged the farm for money to pay my ex- 
penses at school, and you are making a slave of 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



yourself to pay off the mortgage. It isn't right 
for me to let you do this." 

Ezekiel said, " Daniel, I am stronger than you 
are, and if one of us has to stay on the farm, of 
course I am the one." 

" But I want you to go to college," said Dan- 
iel. " An education will do you as much good 
as me." 

" I doubt it," said Ezekiel ; " and yet, if father 
was only able to send us both, I think that we 
might pay him back some time." 

" I will see father about it this very day," said 
Daniel. 

He did see him. 

" I told my father," said Daniel, afterwards, 
"that I was unhappy at my brother's prospects. 
For myself, I saw my way to knowledge, re- 
spectability, and self-protection. But as to Eze- 
kiel, all looked the other way. I said that I 
would keep school, and get along as well as I 
could, be more than four years in getting through 
college, if necessary, provided he also could be 
sent to study." 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



The matter was referred to Daniel's mother, 
and she and his father talked it over together. 
They knew that it would take all the property 
they had to educate both the boys. They knew 
that they would have to do without many com- 
forts, and that they would have a hard strug- 
gle to make a living while the boys were 
studying. 

But the mother said, " I will trust the boys." 
And it was settled that Ezekiel, too, should have 
a chance to make his mark in the world. 

He was now a grown-up man. He was tall 
and strong and ambitious. He entered college 
the very year that Daniel graduated. 

As for Daniel, he was now^ ready to choose a 
profession. What should it be ? 

His father wanted him to become a lawyer. 
And so, to please his parents, he went home and 
began to read law in the office of a Air. Thomp- 
son, in the little village of Salisbury, which ad- 
joined his father's farm. 

The summer passed by. It was very pleasant 
to have nothinor to do but to read. And when 



34 



THE STOKY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



the youn^^ man grew tired of reading, he could 
go out fishing, or could spend a day in hunting 
among the New Hampshire hills. 

It is safe to say that he did not learn very much 
law during that summer. 

But there was not a day that he did not think 
about his brother. Ezekiel had done much to 
help him through college, and now ought he not 
to help Ezekiel ? 

But what could he do ? 

He had a good education, and his lirst thought 
was that he might teach school, and thus earn a 
little money for Ezekiel. 

The people of Fryeburg. in Maine, wanted him 
to take charge of the academy in their little town. 
And so, earlv in the fall, he decided to take up 
with their offer. 

He was to have three hundred and tift\- dol- 
lars for the year's work, and that would help 
Ezekiel a great deal. 

He bade good-bye to Mr. Thompson and his 
little law office, and made ready to go to his new 
field of labor. There were no railroads at that 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 35 

time, and a journey of even a few miles was a 
great undertaking. 

Daniel had bought a horse for twenty-four 
dollars. In one end of an old-fashioned pair of 
saddle-bags he put his Sunday clothes, and in the 
other he packed his books. 

He laid the saddle-bags upon the horse, then 
he mounted and rode off over the hills tow^ard 
Fryeburg, sixty miles away. 

He was not yet quite twenty years old. He was 
very slender, and nearly six feet in height. His 
face was thin and dark. His eyes were black 
and bright and penetrating — no person who once 
saw them could ever forget them. 

Young as he was, he was very successful as a 
teacher during that year which he spent at Frye- 
burg. The trustees of the academy w^ere so highly 
pleased that they wanted him to stay a second 
year. They promised to raise his salary to five 
or six hundred dollars, and to give him a house 
and a piece of land. 

He was greatly tempted to give up all further 
thoughts of becoming a lawyer. 



" What shall I do ? " he said to himself. " Shall 
I say, ' Yes, gentlemen,' and sit down here to 
spend my days in a kind of comfortable pri- 
vacy ?" 

But his father was anxious that he should re- 
turn to the study of the law. And so he was not 
long- in making up his mind. 

In a letter to one of his friends he said : " I 
shall make one more trial of the law in the ensu- 
ing autumn. 

" If I prosecute the profession, I pray God to 
fortify me against its temptations. To be honest, 
to be capable, to be faithful to my client and my 
conscience." 

Early the next September, he was again in Mr. 
Thompson's little law office. All the money that 
he had saved, while at Fryeburg, was spent to 
help Ezekiel through college. 



IX. — Daniel Goes to Boston.' 

For a year and a half, young Daniel Webster 
stayed in the office of Mr. Thompson. He had 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



37 



now fully made up his mind as to what profes- 
sion he would follow ; and so he was a much bet- 
ter student than he had been before. 

He read many law books with care. He read 
Humes History of England, and spent a good 
deal of time with the Latin classics. 

" At this period of my life," he afterwards said, 
"I passed a great deal of time alone. 

"My amusements were fishing and shooting 
and riding, and all these were without a compan- 
ion, I loved this solitude then, and have loved 
it ever since, and love it still." 

The Webster family were still very poor. 
Judge Webster was now too old to do much work 
of any kind. The farm had been mortgaged for 
all that it was worth. It was hard to find money 
enough to keep Daniel at his law studies and 
Ezekiel in college. 

At last it became necessary for one of the 
young men to do something that would help 
matters along. Ezekiel decided that he would 
leave college for a time and try to earn enough 
money to meet the present needs of the family. 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



Through some of his friends he obtained a small 
private school in Boston. 

There were very few pupils in Ezekiel Web- 
ster's school. But there were so many branches 
to be taught that he could not find time to hear 
all the recitations. So, at last, he sent word to 
Daniel to come down and help him. If Daniel 
would teach an hour and a half each day, he 
should have enough money to pay his board. 

Daniel was pleased with the offer. He had long 
wanted to study law in Boston, and here was his 
opportunity. And so, early in March, 1804, he 
joined his brother in that city, and was soon do- 
ing what he could to help him in his little school. 

There was in Boston, at that time, a famous law- 
yer whose name was Christopher Gore. While 
Daniel Webster was wondering how he could 
best carry on his studies in the city, he heard 
that Mr. Gore had no clerk in his office. 

" How I should like to read law with Mr, 
Gore !" he said to Ezekiel. 

" Yes," said Ezekiel. " You could not want a 
better tutor." 



THE STORY OF DA MEL WEBSTER. 39 



"I mean to see him to-day and apply for a 
place in his office," said Daniel. 

It was with many misgiving's that the young" 
man went into the presence of the great law- 
yer. We will let him tell the story in his own 
words : 

" I was from the country, I said ; — had studied 
law for two years ; had come to Boston to study 
a year more ; had heard that he had no clerk ; 
thought it possible he would receive one. 

" I told him that I came to Boston to work, 
not to play ; was most desirous, on all accounts, 
to be his pupil ; and all I ventured to ask at pres- 
ent was, that he would keep a place for me in 
his office, till I could write to New Hampshire for 
proper letters showing me worthy of it." 

Mr. Gore listened to this speech very kindly, 
and then bade Daniel be seated while he should 
have a short talk with him. 

When at last the young man rose to go, Mr. 
Gore said : " My young friend, you look as if 
you might be trusted. You say you came to 
study and not to waste time. I will take you at 



40 THE STORY OF DAXIEL WEBSTER. 

your word. You may as well hang up your hat 
at once." 

And this was the beginning" of Daniel Web- 
ster's career in Boston. 

He must have done well in Mr. Gore's office ; for, 
in a few months, he was admitted to the practice 
of law in the Court of Common Pleas in Boston. 

It was at some time during this same winter that 
Daniel was offered the position of clerk in the 
County Court at home. His father, as you will 
remember, was one of the judges in this court, 
and he was very much delighted at the thought 
that his son would be with him. 

The salary would be about fifteen hundred 
dollars a year — and that was a great sum to 
Daniel as well as to his father. The mortgage 
on the farm could be paid off ; Ezekiel could 
finish his course in college ; and life would be 
made easier for them all. 

At first Daniel was as highly pleased as his 
father. 15ut after he had talked with Mr. Gore, 
he decided not to accept the offered position. 

"Your prospects as a lawyer," said Mr. Gore, 



THE srORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 4 1 

''are good enough to encourage you to go on. 
Go on, and finish your studies. You are poor 
enough, but there are greater evils than poverty. 
Live on no man's favor. Pursue your profession ; 
make yourself useful to your friends and a little 
formidable to your enemies, and you have noth- 
ing to fear." 

A few days after that, Daniel paid a visit to 
his father. The judge received him very kindly, 
but he was greatly disappointed when the young 
man told him that he had made up his mind not 
to take the place. 

With his deep-set, flashing eyes, he looked at 
his son for a moment as though in anger. Then 
he said, very slowly : 

" Well, my son, )our mother has always said 
that you would come to something or nothing — 
she was not sure which. I think you are now 
about settling that doubt for her." 

A few weeks after this, Daniel, as I have al- 
ready told you, was admitted to the bar in Boston. 
Bat he did not think it best to begin his practice 
there. 



42 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



He knew how anxious his father was that he 
should be near him. He wanted to do all that he 
could to cheer and comfort the declining years 
of the noble man who had sacrificed everything 
for him. And so, in the spring of 1S05, he set- 
tled in the town of Boscawen, six miles from 
home, and put up at his office door this sign : 



D. Webster, Attorney. 



X. — Lawver and Conoressman. 

When Daniel Webster had been in Boscawen 
nearly two years, his father died. It was then 
decided that Ezekiel should come and take 
charge of the home farm, and care for their 
mother. 

Ezekiel had not yet graduated from college, 
but he had read law and was hoping to be ad- 
mitted to the bar. He was a man of much nat- 
ural ability, and many people believed that he 
would some day become a very famous lawyer. 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 43 

And so, in the autumn of 1807, Daniel gave 
up to his brother the law business which he had 
in Boscawen, and removed to the city of Ports- 
mouth. 

He was now twenty-five years old. In Ports- 
mouth he would find plenty of work to do ; it 
would be the very kind of work that he liked. 
He was now well started on the road towards 
greatness. 

The very next year, he was married to Miss 
Grace Fletcher, the daughter of a minister in 
?Topkinton. The happy couple began house- 
keeping in a small, modest, wooden house, in 
Portsmouth ; and there they lived, very plainly 
and without pretension, for several years. 

Mr. Webster's office was " a common, ordinary- 
looking room, with less furniture and more books 
than common. He had a small inner room, 
opening from the larger, rather an unusual thing." 

It was not long until the name of Daniel Web- 
ster was known all over New^ Hampshire. Those 
who were acquainted with him said that he was 
the smartest young lawyer in Portsmouth. They 



44 THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 

said that if he kept on in the way that he had 
started, there were great things in store for him. 

The country people told wonderful stories 
about him. They said that he was as black as a 
coal — but of course they had never seen him. 
They believed that he could gain any case in 
court that he chose to manage — and in this they 
were about right. 

There was another great lawyer in Ports- 
mouth. His name was Jeremiah Mason, and he 
was much older than Mr. Webster. Indeed, he 
was already a famous man when Daniel first be- 
gan the practice of law. 

The young lawyer and the older one soon be- 
came warm friends ; and yet they were often op- 
posed to each other in the courts. Daniel was 
always obliged to do his best when Mr. Mason 
was against him. This caused him to be very 
careful. It no doubt made him become a better 
lawyer than he otherwise would have been. 

While Webster was thus quietly practicing 
law in New Hampshire, trouble was brewing be- 
tween the United States and England. The 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 45 

Ens^lish were doinor much to hinder American 
merchants from trading" with foreio-n countries. 

They claimed the right to search American 
vessels for seamen who had deserted from the 
British service. And it is said that American 
sailors were often dragged from their own vessels 
and forced to serve on board the English ships. 

Matters kept getting worse and worse for sev- 
eral years. At last, in June, 1812, the United 
States declared war against England. 

Daniel Webster was opposed to this war, and 
he made several speeches against it. He said 
that, although we had doubtless suffered many 
wrongs, there was more cause for war with 
France than with England. And then, the 
United States had no navy, and hence was not 
ready to go to war with any nation. 

Webster's influence in New Hampshire was so 
great that he persuaded many of the people of 
that state to think just as he thought on this 
subject. They nominated him as their represen- 
tative in Congress ; and when the time came, 
they elected him. 



46 THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



It was on the 24th of May, 181 3, that he first 
took his -seat in Congress. He was then thirty- 
one years old. 

In that same Congress there were two other 
young men who afterwards made their names 
famous in the history of their country. One was 
Henry Clay, of Kentucky. The other was John 
C. Calhoun, of South Carolina. Both were a lit- 
tle older than Webster ; both had already made 
some mark in public life ; and both were in favor 
of the war. 

During his first year in Congress, Mr. Web- 
ster made some stirring speeches in support of 
his own opinions. In this way, as well by his 
skill in debate, he made himself known as a 
young man of more than common ability and 
promise. 

Chief Justice Marshall, who was then at the 
head of the Supreme Court of the United States, 
said of him : "I have never seen a man of 
whose intellect I had a higher opinion." 

In 1814, the war that had been going on so 
lone came to an end. But now there were other 



IHE STORY OF DAXIEI. WEBSTER. 47 

subjects which claimed Mr. Webster's attention 
in Congress. 

Then, as now, there were important questions 
regarding" the money of the nation ; and upon 
these questions there was great difference of 
opinion. Daniel Webster's speeches, in favor of a 
sound currency, did much to maintain the national 
credit and to save the country from bankruptcy. 

The people of New Hampshire were so \\ell 
pleased with the record which he made in Con- 
gress that, when his first term expired, they re- 
elected him for a second. 



XI. — -The Dartmoufh College Case. 

in 1S16, before his second term in Congress 
had expired, Daniel Webster removed with his 
famil\- to Boston. He had li\ed in Portsmouth 
nine years, and he now felt that he needed a 
wider field for the exercise of his talents. 

He was now no longer the slender, delicate 
person that he had been in his l)oyhood and 
Noutli. He was a man of noble mien — a sturdy, 



48 THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



dignified personage, who bore the marks of great- 
ness upon him. 

People said, " When Daniel Webster walked 
the streets of Boston, he made the buildings look 
small." 

As soon as his term in Congress had expired, 
he began the practice of law in Boston. 

For nearly seven years he devoted himself 
strictly to his profession. Of course, he at once 
took his place as the leading lawyer of New Eng- 
land, Indeed, he soon became known as the 
ablest counsellor and advocate in America. 

The best business of the country now came to 
him. His income was very large, amounting to 
more than $20,000 a )'ear. 

And during tliis time there was no harder 
worker than he. In fact, his natural genius could 
have done but little for him, had it not been for 
his untiring industry. 

One of his first great victories in law was that 
which is known as the Dartmouth College case. 
The lawmakers of New Hampshire had attempted 
to pass a law to alter the charter of the college. 



THE STOEY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



49 



By doing this they would endanger the useful- 
ness and prosperity of that great school, in order 
/•to favor the selfisli projects of its enemies. 

Daniel Webster undertook to defend the college. 
The speech which he made before the Supreme 
Court of the United States was a masterly effort. 

" Sir," he said, " you may destroy this little in- 
stitution — it is weak, it is in your hands. I know 
it is one of the lesser lights in the literary hori- 
zon of our country. You may put it out. 

" But if you do so, you must carry through 
your work ! You must extinguish, one after an- 
other, all those greater lights of science which, 
for more than a century, have thrown their light 
over our land ! " 

He won the case ; and this, more than any- 
thing else, helped to gain for him the reputation 
of beinof the ablest lawver in the United States. 



XII. — Webster's Great Orations. 

In 1820, when he was thirty-eight years old, 
Daniel Webster was chosen to deliver an oration 



50 'I'HE STORY OF DAXIEI. IVEBSTRh'. 

at a great meeting of Neu- Englanders at Ply- 
mouth, Massachusetts. 

Plymoutli is the place where the Pilgrims 
landed in 1620. Just two hundred years had 
passed since that time, and this meeting was to 
celebrate the memory of the brave men and 
women who had risked so much to found new- 
homes in what was then a bleak wilderness. 

The speech which Mr. Webster delivered was 
one of the greatest ever heard in America. It 
placed him at once at the head of American 
orators. 

John Adams, the second president of the 
United States, was then living, a very old man. 
He said, " This oration will be read five hundred 
years hence with as much rapture as it was 
heard. It ought to be read at the end of every 
century, and, indeed, at the end of every year, 
forever and ever." 

Hut this w^as only the first of many great 
addresses by Mr. Webster. In 1825, he de- 
livered an oration at the laying of the corner- 
stone of the Bunker Hill monument. Eighteen 



THE STORY OF DAXIEL WEBSTER. 



years later, when that monument was finished, 
he deUvered another. Many of Mr. Webster's 
admirers think that these two orations are his 
masterpieces. 

On July 4th, 1826, the United States had been 
independent just fifty years. On that day there 
passed away two of the greatest men of the 
country—John Adams and Thomas Jeff"erson. 

Both were ex-presidents, and both had been 
leaders in the councils of the nation. It was in 
memory of these two patriots that Daniel Web- 
ster was called to deliver an oration in Faneuil 
Hall, Boston. 

No other funeral oration has ever been deliv- 
ered in any age or country that was equal to 
this in eloquence. Like all his other discourses, 
it was full of patriotic feeling. 

" This lovely land," he said, "this glorious lib- 
erty, these benign institutions, the dear purchase 
of our fathers, are ours ; ours to enjoy, ours to 
preserve, ours to transmit. Generations past and 
generations to come hold us responsible for this 
sacred trust. 



52 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



" Our fathers, from behind, admonish us with 
their anxious, paternal voices ; posterity calls out 
to us from the bosom of the future ; the world 
turns hither its solicitous eyes ; all, all conjure us 
to act wisely and faithfully in the relation which 
we sustain." 

Most of his other great speeches were deliv- 
ered in Congress, and are, therefore, political in 
tone and subject. 

Great as Daniel Webster was in politics and 
in law, it is as an o£ator and patriot that his 
name will be longest remembered. 



XIII. — Mr. Webster in the Senate. 

When Daniel Webster was forty years old, the 
people of Boston elected him to represent them 
in Congress. They were so well pleased with all 
that he did while there, that they re-elected him 
twice. 

In June, 1827, the legislature of Massachusetts 
chose him to be United States senator for a term 
of six years. He was at that time the most 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 5_ 



famous man in Massachusetts, and his name 
was known and honored in every state of the 
Union. 

After that he was re-elected to the same place 
ag-ain and again ; and for more than twenty years 
he continued to be the distinguished senator from 
Massachusetts. 

I cannot now tell you of all his public services 
during the long period that he sat in Congress. 
Indeed, there are some things that you would 
find hard to understand until you have learned 
more about the history of our country. But you 
will by-and-by read of them in the larger books 
which you will study at school ; and, no doubt, 
you will also read some of his great addresses 
and orations. 

It was in 1830 that he delivered the most fa- 
mous of all his speeches in the senate chamber of 
the United States. This speech is commonly 
called, " The Reply to Hayne." 

I shall not here try to explain the purport of 
Mr. Hayne's speeches — for there were two of 
them. I shall not try to describe the circum- 



54 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



Stances which led Mr. Webster to make his fa- 
mous reply to them. 

But I will quote Mr. Webster's closing" sen- 
tences. Forty years ago the school-boys all over 
the country were accustomed to memorize and 
declaim these patriotic utterances. 
V/ " When my eyes shall be turned to behold, for 
the last time, the sun in heaven, may I not see 
him shining on the broken and dishonored frag- 
ments of a once glorious Union ; on states dis- 
severed, discordant, belligerent, on a land rent 
with civil feuds, or drenched, it may be, in fra- 
ternal blood ! 

" Let their last feeble and lingering glance 
rather behold the gorgeous ensign of the repub- 
lic, now known and honored throughout the 
earth, still high advanced, its arms and trophies 
streaming in their original lustre, not a stripe 
erased or polluted, not a single star obscured, 
bearing for its motto no sucli miserable interrog- 
atory, 'What is all this worth ?' nor those other 
words of delusion and folly, ' Liberty first and 
Union afterwards ;' but everywhere, spread all 



THE STORY OF DAX/EL WEBSTER. 



55 



over in characters of living light, blazing on all 
its folds, as they float over the land, and in everv 
wind under the wliole heaxens, that other senti- 
ment, dear to every American heart — Lil:)erty 
and Union, now and forever, one and insepara- 
ble ! " 

In 1 84 1, Daniel Webster resigned his seat in 
the senate. He did this in order to become sec- 
retary of state in the cabinet of the newly elected 
president, William Henry Harrison. 

But President Harrison died on the 5th of 
April, after having held his office just one month ; 
and his place was taken by the vice-president, 
John Tyler. Mr. Webster now felt that his po- 
sition in the cabinet would not be a pleasant one ; 
but he continued to hold it for nearly two years. 

His most important act as secretary of state 
was to conclude a treaty with England which 
fixed the northeastern boundary of the United 
States. This treaty is known in history as the 
Ashburton Treaty. 

In 1843, Mr. Webster resigned his place in 
President Tyler's cabinet. But he was not al- 



56 THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 

lowed to remain long in private life. Two years 
later he was again elected to the United States 
senate. 

About this time, Texas was annexed to the 
United States. But Mr. Webster did not favor 
this, for he believed that such an act was con- 
trary to the Constitution of our country. 

He did all that he could to keep our government 
from making war upon Mexico. But after this 
war had been begun, he was a firm friend of the 
soldiers who took part in it, and he did much to 
provide for their safety and comfort. 

Among these soldiers was Edward, the second 
son of Daniel Webster. He became a major in 
the main division of the army, and died in the 
City of Mexico. 



XIV. — Mr. Webster in Private Life. 

Let us now go back a little way in our story, 
and learn something about Mr. Webster's home 
and private life. 

In 18^1, Mr. Webster bought a laroe farm at 




1 ' 






4/ 




58 THE SJORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 

Marshfield, in the southeastern part of Massaclui- 
setts, not far from the sea. 

He spent a great deal of money in improv- 
ing this farm ; and in the end it was as fine a 
country seat as one might see anywhere in New 
England. 

When he became tired with the many cares of 
his busy life, Mr. Webster could always find rest 
and quiet days at Marshfield. He liked to dress 
himself as a farmer, and stroll about the fields 
looking at the cattle and at the growing crops. 

" I had rather be here than in the senate," he 
would say. 

But his life was clouded with many sorrows. 
Long before going to Marshfield, his two eldest 
children were laid in the grave. Their mother 
followed them just one year before Mr. Web- 
ster's first entry into the United States senate. 

In 1829, his brother Ezekiel died suddenly 
while speaking in court at Concord. Ezekiel had 
never cared much for politics, but as a lawyer in 
his native state, he had won many honors. His 
death came as a great shock to everybody that 



THE STORY OF DAXIEL WEBSTER. 



59 



knew him. To his brother it brought overvvhehn- 
ing sorrow. 

When Daniel Webster was nearly forty-eight 
years old, he married a second wife. She was the 
daughter of a New York merchant, and her name 
was Caroline Bayard Le Roy. She did much to 
lighten the disappointments of his later life, and 
they lived together happily for more than twenty 
years. 

In 1S39, Mr. and Mrs. Webster made a short 
visit to Enorland. The fame of the orreat orator 
had gone before him, and he was everywhere re- 
ceived with honor. The greatest men of the time 
were proud to meet him. 

Henry Hallam, the historian, w^rote of him : 
" Mr. Webster approaches as nearly to the beau 
ideal of a republican senator as any man that I 
have ever seen in the course of my life." 

Even the Oueen invited him to dine with her ; 
and she was much pleased with his dignified 
ways and noble bearing. 

And, indeed, his appearance was such as to 
win the respect of all who saw him. When he 



6o THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 

walked the streets of London, people would stop 
and wonder who the noble stranger was ; and 
workingmen whispered to one another: "There 
eoes a kine ! " 



XV. — The Last Years. 

Many people believed that Daniel Webster 
would finally be elected president of the United 
States. And, indeed, there was no man in all 
this country who was better fitted for that high 
position than he. 

But it so happened that inferior men, who were 
willing to stoop to the tricks of politics, always 
stepped in before him. 

In the meanwhile the question of slavery was 
becoming, every day, more and more important. 
It was the one subject which claimed everybody's 
attention. 

Should slavery be allowed in the territories ? 

There was great excitement all over the coun- 
try. There were many hot debates in Congress. 
It seemed as though the Union would be de- 
stroyed. 



THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 6 I 

At last, the wiser and cooler-headed leaders in 
Congress said, " Let each side give up a little to 
the other. Let us have a compromise." 

On the /th of March, 1850, Mr. Webster de- 
livered a speech before the senate. It was a 
speech in favor of compromise, in favor of con- 
ciliation. 

He thought that this was the only way to pre- 
serve the Union. And he was willing to sacrifice 
everything for the Constitution and the Union. 

He declared that all the ends he aimed at 
were for his country's good. 

" I speak to-day for the preservation of the 
Union," he said. "Hear me for my cause! I 
speak to-day out of a solicitous and anxious 
heart, for the restoration to the country of that 
quiet and harmony, which make the blessings 
of this Union so rich and so dear to us all." 

He then went on to defend the law known as 
the Fugitive Slave Law. He declared that this 
law was in accordance with the Constitution, 
and hence it should be enforced according to its 
true meaning. 



2 THE STORY OF DA A' IE I. WEBSTER. 

The speech was a great disappointment to his 
friends. They said that he had deserted them ; 
that he had gone over to their enemies ; that he 
was no longer a champion of freedom, but of 
slavery. 

Those who had been his warmest supporters, 
now turned against him. 

A few months after this. President Taylor died. 
The vice-president, Millard Fillmore, then be- 
came president. Mr. Fillmore was in sympathy 
with Daniel Webster, and soon gave him a seat 
in his cabinet as secretary of state. 

This was the second time that Mr. Webster 
had been called to fill this high and honorable 
position. But, under President Fillmore, he did 
no very great or important thing. 

He was still the leading man in the Whig 
party ; and he hoped, in 1852, to be nominated 
for the presidency. But in this he was again 
disappointed. 

He was now an old man. He had had great 
successes in life ; but he felt that he had failed 
at the end of the race. His health was giving 



THE STORY OF DAXIEL WEBSI ER 



way. He went home to Marshfield for the quiet 
and rest which he so much needed. 

In May. that same year, he was thrown from 
his carriage and severely hurt. From this hurt 
he never recovered. He offered to resign his 
seat in the cabinet, but Mr. FiUmore would not 
hsten to this. 

In September he became very feeble, and his 
friends knew that the end was near. On the 
24th of October, 1852, he died. He was nearly 
seventy-one years old. 

In every part of the land his death was sin- 
cerely mourned. Both friends and enemies felt 
that a great man had fallen. They felt that this 
country had lost its leading statesman, its noblest 
patriot, its worthiest citizen. 

Rufus Choate, who had succeeded him as the 
foremost lawyer in New England, delivered a 
great oration upon his life and character. He 
said : 

" Look in how manly a sort, in how high a 
moral tone, Mr. Webster uniformly dealt with 
the mind of his countrv. 



64 THE STORY OF DANIEL WEBSIEK. 

" Where do you find him flattering his coun- 
trymen, indirectly or directly, for a vote? On 
what did he ever place himself but good coun- 
sels and useful service ? 

" Who ever heard that voice cheering the peo- 
ple on to rapacity, to injustice, to a vain and 
guilty glory ? 

" How anxiously, rather, did he prefer to teach, 
that by all possible acquired sobriety of mind, 
by asking rexerently of the past, by obedience 
to the law, by habits of patient labor, by the cul- 
tivation of the mind, by the fear and worship of 
God, we educate ourselves for the future that is 
revealing." 



